Temporary fastener for shoes.



No. 677,539. Patented luly 2, mm.- E. E. BUNUVAN. TEWIPORABY FASTENERFUR SHOES. (Application med July '5, 1900. (No Model.)

(LLLc L n 63 4-;

UNITED STATES i ATENT OFFICE.

ERNEST E. DONOVAN, OF NORTH GRAFTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOv EDlVINl3. STORY, OF SAME PLACE.

TEMPORARY FASTENER FOR SHOES.

ECiFZi-GATZGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,539, dated July 2,1901.

Application filed July 5, 1900. Serial No. 22,513. (No model.)

To all, whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, ERNEST E. DONOVAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at North Grafton, in the county of VV orcesterand Stateof'Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Temporary Fastener forShoes, of which the fellowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a devicefor holding together the front edgesor instep portion 1c of a shoe-upper during the manufacture of a lacedshoe; and the object of this invention is to provide a simple,inexpensive, and efficient fastener which not only may be used to fastentogether the instep portion of a shoeupper during the manufacture of theshoe,

but which will also bring the eyelets of the shoe into such accurateregister with each other as to dispense with barring or temporarystitching together the ends of a shoe-up-' per, as is now ordinarily thepractice as a preliminary step to vamping the shoe.

To this end the invention consists of the temporary fastening device ashereinafter described, and more particularly pointed out in the claimsat the end of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view ofa portionof a shoe-upper, illustrating the application of my temporary fastenerthereto. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the parts employed to make up atemporaryfa'steneraccording t0 myinvention. Fig. 3 is a perspective viewillustrating the temporary fastener, and Fig. at is an enlargedfragmentary sectional View illustrating the 'manner of securing the pats together.

In the manufacture of shoes as a preliminary step to the lasting processit is now customary to lace the front of the shoe with string or twine.This practice is objection- 0 able, as the shoe will be shaped over theinstep portion of the last accordingly as the upper is laced more orless tightly, and as twine will necessarily stretch to diifereut degreesor the knots for holding the twine will slip 5 more or less during thelasting operation the shoes made on the same last will vary toconsiderable extent among themselves.

As a preliminary step to vamping or sewin g on the lower portion of anupper ofa shoe it is also necessary to provide some means for holdingthe eyelets in position so that they will register accurately with eachother. This has heretofore ordinarily been accomplished by barring orsewing together the front lower corners of the upper portion of ashoeupper by means of a few, stitches or short seam. Theobjectionsflhfilifiirist to lacing up the front of the upp vith stringor twine and the unnecessary cost in barring or'stitching together thecorners of a shoe-upper have long been recognized, and a number oftemporary fasteners have been devised the use of which is intended tosupersede these operations. Several of such temporary fastening deviceshave been patented, and my invention relates especially to this class offastening devices, the especial object of my pres ent invention being toprovide a fastening de vice which is'not only reliable and efficient inoperation, but which can be manufactured and placed on the market at aprice which will insure a far more extensive use and adoption of thesame than of other temporary fastening devices with which I am familiar.

Referring to the accompanying drawings and 'in detail, a temporaryfastener constructed according to my invention, as herein illustrated,comprises a body portion or plate 10, of flexible sheet metal. The plate10 is provided along opposite edges with perforations 11, and set intothe perforations 11 are spring-ended studs which engage the eyelets ofthe shoe. To secure the studs in place, I preferably insert an eyeletltlinto each of the perforations 11. The eyelets 12 are provided withflaring upper ends which project through the sheet-metal plate 10.Fitting over each of the eyelets 1:? are round-ended sheet-metal caps13, which-are secured in place by being crimped in around the flaringends of the eyelets 12, as most clearly illustrated in Fi t. Therounditopped sheet-metal caps are t on split or slotted and their upperends slightly expanded, as shown, in order to make springfasteningdevices which when pushed through 5 the eyelets of the shoe will holdthe fastener securely in place. In a previous application for patent Ihave described and claimed a temporary fastener for shoes which is madeout of a single piece sheet metal having integral split-ended :lspunched out therefrom along opposite 'es thereof.i he temporary fastenerforming the' subt-matter of this application for patent I e designed asan improvement over the gle-piece fastener of my previous applican forpatent, as I have found in practice ,t the manufacture of temporaryfasteners m a single piece of metal requires the use high-grade brass orsimilar stock, and the at of the dies and tools for stamping and wingthe fastener into shapeis necessarily isiderable, Whereas in the form offastener ;closed in this application for patent the dy portion 10 may bemade from compara 'ely inexpensive material, such as sheetl, and onlythe round-topped cap portions need be formed of spring-brass or morepensive material, and my present invenn resides especially in the novelarrangeant and combinations of parts for securing e spring-studs to thesheet-metal body porm. I am aware that changes may be made in e shapesand proportions of temporary fasners constructed according to myinvention Lthout departing from the scope of the in- :ntion as expressedin the claims.- I do not ish,therefore, to belimited to the form whichhave herein shown and described; but What I do claim, and desire tosecure by etters Patent of the United States, is

1. As an article of manufacture, a temporary fastener for shoescomprising a sheetmetal plate having perforations along opposite edgesthereof, eyelets each having a flaring end of less diameter than saidperforations inserted through said plate from the rear side thereof, andeach having a flange of greater diameter than said perferations, and asheet-metal cap fitting over the flaring end of each eyelet and erimpedin place thereon after the end of said eyelet has been inserted throughsaid plate to form studs, substantially as described.

2. As an article of manufacture, a temporary fastener for shoescomprising a sheetmetal plate 10 having perforations 11 along oppositeedges thereof, eyelets 12, each having a flaring end of less diameterthan said perforations inserted through said plate from the rear side ofthe plate, and having a flange of greater diameter than saidperforations, and a round-topped sheet-metal cap 13 fitting over theflaring end of each eyelet and crim ped in place thereon after saideyelet has been inserted from the rear side of the plate, the tops ofsaid caps being split and expanded to form spring-catches for engagingthe eyelets of a shoe, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ERNEST E. DONOVAN.-

Witnesses:

PHILIP W. Sournoxrn, JOHN 1*. CRO\VELL.

